Pleasantville, N.Y. - Not only did it run its winning streak to ten games, the Adelphi University baseball team twice exploded for double-digit runs Saturday to sweep the first two games of a four-game series from Pace University in NE10 action at FInnerty Field.
Behind a three-homer and eight-RBI day from
Michael Draskin, the Panthers (15-4, 6-0 NE10) took both games from the Setters by 10-6 and 12-7 scorelines.
With rain in the forecast for Sunday, the latter two games of the series will instead be played on Monday (Mar. 4) in Pleasantville, starting at 1 p.m.
Game 1: Adelphi 10, Pace 6
Michael Storms took the bump for the Panthers in Game 1 and cruised for the better part of six innings. He was perfect the first time through the Pace order and kept the Setters scoreless over the first five frames.
In the meantime, the Adelphi bats went to work and led 5-0 midway through the nine-inning contest.
The Panthers first took advantage of second chances in the opening frame, when a pair of runs came across after two Pace errors extended the inning.
Two innings later,
Kyle Olson launched a solo homer out to right-center and
Cooper Johnson drove in a pair with a double that found the gap.
Although the Setters broke through against Storms in the sixth and pulled within 5-2, the visitors responded with a five-spot in its half of the seventh.
Both Draskin and
Joe Pellegrino went yard in the inning. Pellegrino's homer was a three-run shot and the first of his collegiate career.
Pace never went away though and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth.
Max Steele staved off the comeback with a strikeout of Mitch McCabe, the opposition's clean-up hitter, to end it.
Game 2: Adelphi 12, Pace 7
In the seven-inning contest, the Panthers got out to another fast start and held an 8-1 lead after the top of the fifth.
Adelphi scored a run in each of its first three visits to the plate, capped by a third-inning two-run homer from Draskin.
Jack Ryan got the scoring started with a first-inning sacrifice fly and
Matt Alifano singled home Olson in the second.
The Setters fell victim to the error again in the fifth and trailed 8-1, but the Pace bats rallied with four runs in the sixth that closed the gap to 8-6.
With a fresh arm out of the pen for Pace in the seventh, the Panthers filled the bases for Draskin, who unloaded for a statement grand slam to put the game out of reach.
The Adelphi bullpen finished the game off, with
Kevin Glasser retiring the final out on a fly ball to center.
Jacob Pedersen surrendered only an unearned run in his 1.2 innings of work.
John Rizzo got the nod for the Game 2 start and picked up the win in the decision. He struck out a pair over five innings and never allowed a walk.
